Parents warned as online suicide game 'linked to death of 130 teens' goes viral

Police in the US, UK and Europe have issued warnings to parents as an online suicide game which could be linked to the deaths of 130 Russian teens goes viral.

The 'Blue Whale challenge' is a social media group where administrators reportedly encourage children to undertake a series of tasks over 50 days. They include watching horror films all day, waking up at 4:20am, contemplating death and self-harming by carving the shape of a blue whale in to their arms. Their final 'task' is to take their own life.

Detectives in Russia are said to be investigating the increasing rate of suicide among teens in the same Internet groups who took their own lives between November 2015 and April 2016. They include two schoolgirls who ended their lives. One had shared a picture of a blue whale with the caption 'End' hours earlier.

Similar suicides have been reported in Estonia, Kazakhstan and the Ukraine, while detectives in Rio De Janeiro believe two teen deaths could also be linked to the challenge. A school in Essex in the UK has written a letter — and police from at least two forces have posted online warnings — to alert parents to the social media group.

There have been no reports of the challenge reaching Australia, but National Children's Commissioner Megan Mitchell told 9Honey parents should "routinely check in with their children" and "talk with them about the content they are accessing".

"I was shocked and disturbed to read reports about this game", Mitchell said. "We know that suicide is the biggest killer of young Australians. Far too many young lives are lost or damaged by self-harm and suicide.

"Online gaming has no place in this space, and should be condemned in the strongest terms. This kind of ‘game’ is exploiting and harming the most vulnerable members of our society – our children."

She praised the response of one sharing site, but called on others to do more.

"I am heartened to see that social media platforms like Instagram are taking active steps to remove posts promoting the game and are referring posters to counselling services", she said. "I would encourage other online companies to do the same."

"I would also strongly encourage parents to routinely check in with their children about their feelings and worries", she added. "Talk with them about the content they are accessing online, and always encourage them to seek help if they are distressed."

The warnings come in the wake of a backlash over Netflix show, 13 Reasons Why. The plot centres around a 15-year-old who takes her own life and leaves behind a series of cassette tapes — each one dedicated to the people she believes played a role in her suicide.